The present disclosure relates generally to the field of separation apparatuses, and, more particularly, to the field of separation apparatuses for a hood.
Cooking foods containing oily substances causes the emission of aerosols and vapors that include substances such as grease, soot, etc. that may coat kitchen hoods and ductwork meant to channel them away from the kitchen environment. Grease that is not deposited on the ductwork is carried to the exterior of a building where it creates further problems. For example, grease buildup on the exterior of a building may cause the building to decay at a faster rate (e.g., grease buildup on a rubber membrane roof) and adversely affect the appearance of the building. Grease deposited at the outlet of the exhaust/duct system may also act as a source of fuel for a fire or as a slippery coating on walkways. To minimize these problems, kitchen hoods have been designed to carry, capture, and contain grease.
Conventional kitchen hoods use a baffle or mesh filter in the hood or ductwork to capture the effluent grease particles. A baffle generally operates by deflecting the exhaust stream as it passes through the baffle so that heavier substances (e.g. liquids such as grease, solids, etc.) impact the surface of the baffle. After impacting the surface of the baffle, these substances drain to a collection area. A mesh filter typically uses fibers or metal scrim to capture the grease in the between the fiber and scrim.
Unfortunately, these conventional filters suffer from a number of deficiencies. These filters generally capture only larger substances and have limited efficiency. Because more of the substances make it through these filters and are deposited inside the ductwork or outside the building, these areas must be cleaned more often, which often entails considerable additional expense. Also, in some instances, conventional filters such as mesh filters need frequent cleaning and/or replacement.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a more efficient and complete collection system. In providing such a system, it would also be advantageous for the new system to be used in new installations as well as in retrofitting existing installations where space may be limited and it would otherwise be difficult and/or costly to replace the exhaust system.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a separation apparatus that provides one or more of these or other advantageous features. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present description. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they provide one or more of the aforementioned advantages.